Pull the Trigger
by MewMewKnowsWho
Summary: Based on the song "Karakuri Burst." Len is an aspiring Nazi general with one goal in mind; extinguish all imperfections. When a daunting figure from his past appears before him for the first time in years, he actually feels threatened and decides that the time has come for him to act. The war against the Second Race has finally reached him again. DON'T READ IF THIS SOUNDS OFFENSIVE
1. Prologue

**Salem:** This story is based on the song "Karakuri Burst" by Vocaloids Rin and Len. In the story, both characters are not related in any way. PLEASE remember this as the story progresses. **DISCLAIMER: The song "Karakuri Burst" holds some content that may be offensive as one of the characters is a Nazi and TAKES PLACE DURING THE HOLOCAUST. IF THIS BOTHERS YOU THEN SIMPLY DON'T READ! I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE JEWISH OR GERMAN POPULATION! THIS IS MERELY WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT! Thank you! (Had to put that just in case! :3)**

**Song: In YouTube, look up "Rin Len Karakuri Burst" then have your pick!**

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Prologue

Len glared down from the search tower dripping with rain on which he stood, the sinister and menacing search lights revealing the filthy people standing in the mud below him as Kaito threw it over each one of them. Their tear stained faces stared up at him expressionlessly waiting for their orders as they stood trembling in their rags.

Len snorted and turned to Kaito who was adjusting his Field Marshal's cap. "Why do they look at me so?" He asked in the heat of his own vehemence. "They have been aiding her! I know they have!"

Kaito shrugged and spat off of the tower. "What else do they have to live for besides pacing like caged animals? They were born to follow, Sir! Rin is just the flavor of the month to them!" He chuckled.

Len bared his teeth. He shoved Kaito to the side and grabbed the massive search light by its side handle. He swung it around and pushed it down on the hundreds of dirty, petrified faces. They cringed and bawled as the smoldering light flooded over them, blinding them to the point of agony as they fell to the ground. Mud coated their faces and caked in their hair as they threw their hands over their red-rimmed eyes and writhed in torture under their tyrant.

"Where is Rin?!" Len barked down to them. "Was she here?!"

The people refused to respond and helped one another out of the slick mud beneath their ice cold feet. Several of them coughed in sickness as they tried to huddle together for warmth, pressing their indigo faces against one another as they shivered fiercely in a blend of panic and infection.

Len threw his arms in the air. "Answer me!" He reached down and tore the silver whistle from his neck, mercilessly snapping the twine that held it in place. The long and thin cylinder had been in his possession for years and had been engraved with his symbol of power; the Swastika. Len thrust the whistle to his lips and blew hard. Several people below screamed underneath its piercing shriek as the mass turned and ran, desperate to climb the barbwire fence to their freedom. Two soldiers clad in all black, one with cropped auburn hair and one with silky light pink flew from the belly of the tower and kneeled to the ground, armaments clutched resolutely between their slender fingers.

"Meiko! Luka! Raid their quarters for any trace of Rin! Those found guilty I want shot!" Len ordered irately.

The two women looked up and bowed to their General with wiry, sharp-toothed grins spread across their rosy apple like cheeks. Meiko and Luka nodded to one another in stimulation before dashing forward and grabbing people from the chain link fence by the back of their necks. Len watched uncaringly as several adolescent boys were ripped from the fence and slammed to the frosty soil. A set of twins rushed forward in a fit of ear splitting screams, desperately trying to reach their older brothers who were beat brutally in their jaw lines by the unforgiving butt of Luka's riffle, turning their fair skin a luxuriant amethyst hue.

Kaito pulled a cigarette and lighter from his pocket and offered them to his boss. "Sir, this may take the girls a while. Why don't we go back to our quarters and just let them do their jobs?" He asked in a sporty tenor, lighting the cigarette and drawing it to his lips when Len didn't take it.

Len didn't answer back. He was engrossed in the enticing shine of unsullied crimson blood glowing intensely under the tepid yellow light. It reminded him of that wretched blonde woman, of each obnoxious simper she wore across her mug during their several encounters. It brought back the burning sensation of being held at gunpoint each time she appeared before him.

_Why won't she get it done?! _ Len growled irritably to himself. _Why does she refuse to shoot?! _

Len glanced down at the ashen and scarlet patch sewn to the right arm of his wrinkled ensemble. Each stitch of that symbol screamed out the everlasting duty that clawed like a cadged rat at his heart. He must comb the land to slit Rin's throat and tear apart her puppet mastermind; Hatsune Miku of the Second Race. Len blinked. Mieko's despotic battle cries sounded around the court as she grabbed a woman with hair as black as her heart by the back of the head before throwing her against the glacial side of a sleeping quarter building. Len stared down at his knuckles turning white as he clutched the wet railing of the tower. He didn't flinch when he heard the gunshot piercing through the tin and out into the shadowy night beyond its silver nose, even when he knew all too well that that tip had been stained a soft rose color.

"Field Marshal, prepare the others." He whispered to his acquaintance.

Kaito let out a puff of smoke and flicked the ashes from the tip of his cigarette. "Sir is that really necessary?" He breathed in alarm before coughing against the sting of the tar in his lungs.

Len whipped around and drew the long sword from the black sheath tied around his waist. He bared his teeth and pressed it against the soft flesh of Kaito's throat, knocking the Field Marshal against the tower's siding.

"You dare defy me?!" He barked, pressing the blade deeper into Kaito's neck and leaving a thin, clean, cut.

Kaito struggled to stay on the platform, gripping at the railing in frantic motions. "No Sir! I-I would never defy you!" He choked.

Len studied him a moment. The fear in his cerulean eyes glistened like that of the people below, reminding him that all people were disposable. He drew his wrist back and replaced the elongated blade into its protective cover. Kaito wheezed and grabbed at his throat, running his forefingers across the length of the excruciating, but not fatal, slice. He rubbed the side of his cheek as the cigarette had seared him in the heat of his panic leaving a tiny burn mark just below his left eye. Livid, Kaito tossed the burnt tube of paper over the edge of the platform and coughed.

Len tried to contain his anger. He flung himself back around and grabbed onto the railing, soaking his black gloves in the rainwater dripping from the rooftop above and onto his hands. He gazed at Luka who had lined up all potential subjects in a row with their chests pressed up against the fence. Meiko went down the line and kicked their feet apart with her thick black combat boots. She slowly strode back to where Luka stood. Len could hear Luka count down slowly and ominously like an ailing wind. Three…Meiko raised her riffle and placed the butt casually against her shoulder. Two…The click of the slide broke the silence of the court. One…Her finger rested on the trigger with anticipation as her whole body cocked back. There were six shots. Len counted each one as the bodies of the unfortunate fell in graceful archs apon one another, bathing their shawls in that brilliant ruby shade. He sighed and turned back to where Kaito stood waiting for his orders.

"I want that insane monster found." He whispered as he moved his blonde hair out of the way of his one good eye. "We need to get rid of her as soon as possible."

Kaito nodded. "Yes, Sir. I will tell Gakupo and Lily to search the west plain. Sonika can guard the main station. Does that sound adequate Sir?" He added, still rubbing the blood from his throat.

Len gave a small nod. "I want Rin and Miku alive. I want to see those damn Second Race killers die at my blade!"

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For those who know me, the story Beware the Psychotic (Kaito and Meiko) was my first (and sadly still in progress) Fanfic. I really hope followers of that story will read this one as well! I plan to update both more regularly since I have not been consistent, so don't worry! Thanks guys for the support! (P.S. If you watch the vid for this, Len IS SO SMOKING HOT. I mean holy hell people who COULDN'T love him when he's THAT badass? ^/^

With love,

~Lady-Salem


	2. Worries and Warplanes

**Salem:** Hope you guys like this…Once again hope you review if you read the chapter! It's not that hard everyone! :D Oh! In this story (unlike the video) Rin only acts insane when she is in battle. She is not COMPLETELY insane. Just wanted to clear that up! One more thing. All characters in the story are GERMAN. I KNOW THEY HAVE JAPANESE NAMES, BUT IN THIS CONTEXT THEY COME FROM GERMANY. I KEPT THE NAMES SO YOU WOULD KNOW WHO THEY WERE. Thanks!

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**Ch 1: Worries and Warplanes**

Rin peered through the window of the basement at the array of Nazi warplanes dotting the sky like giant insects. Their rhythmic hum rattled the glass inside the pane and made her think of each beautiful song she knew as she tapped her foot to the beat of each, singing them softly to herself as she cleaned around the room.

"Rin why have you not hidden yourself?!" A voice cried from behind her.

Rin gasped and spun around. A slender woman a good head taller than her in a long white coat stood at the top of the stairs that led down into the basement. Her extensive aqua hair was tied into two lengthy pony tails and her legs were covered with a tight fitting fishnet lace. She wore square glasses that were perched dexterously on the tip of her nose. They made her look sharp as well as vaguely unapproachable.

"Madam Miku!" Rin exclaimed. "P-Please forgive me! I was just cleaning like you asked!"

Miku stomped down the stairs and growled, only pushing Rin further over the edge and into her pool of horror. "I don't want to hear excuses you rat!" She spat taking the cleaning cloth from Rin's hands and chucking it to the side. "When the Nazis fly over, you grab the gun and get in the corner! Who knows when they'll repel down to the ground?! We have to be prepared you idiot!"

Rin swallowed her tears and turned around. She gave a small nod to her master and sulked heavily to the dusty corner. A small, blocky, handgun sat concealed behind the stiff bristles of her broom and she picked it up. The grip of the pistol was too large for one of her elfin hands to hold, so she had to stabilize the weighty weapon with both of them. As commanded, Rin slid down the wall and sat alone amongst the dust in the corner. The hum outside was growing louder as the warplanes shot over the sky unequivocally above the residence. Miku pulled her own personal firearm, a hardwearing German Erfurt Luger that Rin had always admired, out of her pocket and slid charitably around to the side of the staircase. She peered up over the weather-beaten wood of the stairs at the cherry oak door she had left cracked open. Rin batted a cobweb out of her tresses and adjusted the white ribbon that tied it back. Miku was quite an intriguing character. She had raised Rin from the time she was a small child and, for as long as Rin could bear in mind, Miku had made it her obligation to exterminate all Nazis in the German province. She reviled them with such a smoldering fervor, that she had even created a clandestine organization of Nazi killers known as the Second Race. Thinking of her master's union made Rin's curiosity climax. She had never been allowed to enter any of the Second Race assemblies, but had listened to them through the closed doors of the domicile. Rin swallowed and tried to remember every Nazi name she had heard, but she could not bring her mind to function. Just the thought of coming face to face with a Nazi combatant made her green about the gills. Miku had reminded her many a time that the Swastika had once been a symbol of harmony and freedom, but the Nazi warriors had turned it into an emblem that provoked the thought of bereavement and annihilation.

A loud bang upstairs caused the two to jump. Rin cried out in shock and flew across the room to Miku who had tensed like a viper. The blue-haired woman thrust Rin against the wall and threw herself over her in a cogently shielding flounce. She aimed her Luger at the door and squinted from behind her glasses as she tried to lock onto a firm target. Tears began to well up in Rin's eyes as she choked on her own alarm from behind her master's long white cloak. A lone drop grazed the tip of her nose and fell onto Miku's sleeve, leaving a small dark patch.

"W-What is it?" Rin's voice trembled as she spoke. "N-N…Nazis?"

Miku drew a finger to her lips to silence the petrified house maid. Several sets of heavy footsteps pounded on the floorboards above them, drawing ever closer to the door. Miku's hand flew down and tore the clip from her pistol. She held it up to her face and checked to see if it was fully loaded. A vacant spot near the top where a shell should have neatly rested caught her attention.

"Rin give fetch me a bullet!" She whispered. "Quickly, child!"

Rin fumbled to pull the well secured clip from her gun. Her fingertips felt as though they were anesthetized and her hands became persistent to air their pitiable quake. She felt around the bottom of the clasp for a notch and grabbed gracelessly at it before yanking it out. Several silver shells spilled to the floor due to her gaucheness, each with a mellifluous tink like a miniature wind chime blowing in a gentle zephyr. Miku gasped and pushed Rin to the ground.

"Pick them up!" She hissed crossly as she clicked her staple back into the firearm.

Suddenly and without forewarning the footsteps ceased and a wraithlike stillness flooded the crypt. Rin stopped retrieving the tiny projectiles and stared down at the inexpressive terrazzo. She dared not move as her heart began to beat up into her throat. She felt her whole body ice over as a muffled creak sounded above her. Miku had shifted her weight forward to get a better view of the door and the pressure from her boots had popped a nail from one of the boards. Miku didn't appear nervous. Rin narrowed her eyes and noticed that she actually seemed wound up like a time bomb. Her exhilaration was visibly flowing in waves of sheer adrenaline over her body as she tapped her trigger impatiently with a finger. How an incident that may lead to demise could even begin to feel a tiny bit electrifying, Rin would never know. Miku had always been cold hearted but she had never noticed exactly how immense her absurd craving for Nazi blood really was.

"M-Miku! Miku come upstairs hurry!" A voice screamed from up the staircase.

Miku's eyes shot wide and she dropped her pistol to the floor with a loud thunk. "Gumi?! Is that you?" She bounded over Rin and flew up the steps with her white cloak flaring behind her like a fan. Rin flinched as she threw open the door with a swift flick of her palm. "Gumi I'm coming!"

Rin gasped and dropped the bullets she had been clutching in her fist. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed Miku's pistol before sprinting after her master.

"Master it is not safe! Nazis are about!" She cried as she burst through the door.

Immediately after Rin had done so she stopped dead in her tracks, nearly tripping over her own feet when she saw Miku. She stood a few feet away from the doorway crouched over a girl in a bright red jacket that jutted shaply at the shoulders and crisp white shorts. Her peach colored hair was tied back and neatly combed, but various twigs and oak leaves were strewn about her fine threads, suggesting that she must have had to cross through the wood behind the residence. She was conscious, but seemed brutally traumatized. The other girl above her tried frantically to calm the scared woman, her flamboyant green hair barely skirting the lashes of her eyes as she toyed with the silken ribbon tied around her ginger chemise. Rin recognized her immediately. She was a former cat-burglar who traveled the German countryside in search of anything she could get her filthy, orange gloved hands on. She wasn't the best marksman when it came to shooting, but her speed and stealth made up highly for her atrocious aim. No one knew her real name and when she joined the Second Race, she instructed Miku to only call her Gumi.

Miku helped the peach-haired girl sit up and brushed her off as she panted. "Iroha listen to me…Forget the Nazis who chased you!" She placed her hands determinedly on Iroha's jaw line as she spoke. "Did you get the pictures? The pictures are what matter right now!"

Iroha took in big gulps of air. She used a shaky hand to open her messenger bag strapped tightly around her chest. It was unexciting, dilapidated, and covered in a solid coating of clay rich soil and shrubbery. Rin gasped. Something inside the bag wiggled around and writhed like a pile of snakes. Rin reviled any kind of serpent! Iroha undid the square wooden button and tugged the flap open. As she did so, something black and fluffy poked its velvety face out of the biggest pocket and gave a soft mew. Rin grinned with enchantment. It had been years since she had seen a domestic cat and she longed to run her fingers through its soft, sleek, coat.

Iroha frowned and dumped the cat out of her bag. "Charlotte! Get out of my bag! You'll ruin all of our photos!" She retrieved a slim stack of lustrous black and white photos from underneath Charlotte's soft pink pads and brushed her shedded fur from their surfaces.

Miku grinned and snatched the pictures from Iroha's hands. "Yes! Now we can finally put them on our hit list!"

Gumi laughed and helped Iroha from the floor, extending a friendly hand down to her and hoisting her up. "We went through all nine levels of Nazi Hell to get those Miku. You had better figure out who they are fast."

Iroha nodded angrily. "We were chased away from the camp! For the first time since our run in with that Field Marshal at Buchenwald I was scared for my life! This was even worse than the fire fight at Arbeitsdorf!" She crossed her arms irately and pursed her lips.

Miku rolled her eyes and studied the prints closer. "Will you two just shut up already?"

Gumi stuck out her tongue in an acerbic, taunting motion. "I don't see you doing anything Boss!" She continued.

Miku squeezed her eyes shut. "Schnauze! Lass mich arbeiten du Idiot!" ("Shut up! Let me work you moron!" In German.)

Being scolded in her native language was enough to suppress Gumi's fit of superciliousness. She sighed and leaned against the wall, plucking few pictures from the stack and mumbling things to herself as she studied. Iroha, a French woman who did not recognize a single consonant of the German language, stood vacantly before the two.

"Boy am I glad we all know English! If we didn't all have a common language we would all be so bemused!"

Rin watched in absorption as Miku spread the numerous portraits across the miniature end table they ate at in the middle of the room. The photos were of assorted men and women, all wearing the idiosyncratic black cap and garments of the easily distinguished Nazi officer. Each bore a Swastika just below their left shoulders.

Iroha scooped up Charlotte tenderly by her chest from the floor and examined them alongside Miku and Gumi. "Which one do you think is him?" She whispered in a disgusted tone.

Rin took a step forward. "W-What are you talking about?" She inquired softly. It was a great risk to try and join in on a Second Race banter, and she knew it well.

Miku sighed and slammed her palms down on the table. "Rin go clean the kitchen! This does not concern a house maid!"

Gumi snorted. "Oh give it a rest Boss! If the girl wants to help, let her!"

Iroha nodded in concordance. "One more trigger happy member should do it! Is she German? Or French maybe?" Her eyes lit up at the striking thought of not being the only foreign one in the lineup anymore.

Rin cautiously walked forward and joined her superiors. "I-I'm German…I come from the town of Berlin. I don't remember much of it though since I was separated from my family when I was three years old …"

Miku gave a conceited grunt. "They know that you stupid girl! I've told them everything from the town to me raising you."

Rin rubbed her shoulder, discomfited. "I-I wasn't sure…."

Gumi and Iroha both smiled at her, attempting to wash away her reservations.

"Don't be embarrassed!" Iroha let go of Charlotte's hind quarters to tousle Rin's golden hair, and the feline gave a mew of surprise in return. "Welcome to the team sweetie!"

Miku shook her head. "She has every right to be disgraced Iroha! She doesn't know a thing about any of the Nazis!"

Rin frowned as an impenetrable splash of antagonism flooded over her. It was so abrupt and controlling that it shocked even her and blinded her for a few swift moments. She clutched the grip of Miku's gun tightly in her fist, trying with all her force not to point it at her master. Instead, she chucked the gun down hard onto the tabletop.

"I know more than you think Madam Miku! I'm not some uniformed peasant!" She yelled heatedly. "I know about every concentration camp!" She glared down at the photographs. "I see all of those Officers in the daily paper when I go into town for your supplies and meats! I know each one of them down cold!"

All three of the women spun around and stared at the petite house maid in trepidation.

"Rin…You know them? Y-You know their _names_?" Miku breathed at a snail's pace.

Rin felt her fury gradually subsiding. "Erm…yes?" Miku's sudden change of disposition astounded her.

Miku wrapped her arm around Rin and drew her closer to the table, refusing to take her eyes off of her. "Don't tease me child…Can you please identify each of them for us?"

Rin swallowed and looked at the pictures. She gave a tiny nod and pulled five of them from the main group, setting them aside.

"These five are field officers. They look after the camp when the head is away." She pointed to two women, each with fine features and long hair. "These two are Megurine Luka and Lily. They man guns with this girl over here," she pointed to a stern woman with short dark hair, "Meiko Sakine, the main punishment officer. She tortures those who choose to defy the Aryan Race."

Gumi ran her fingers through her hair. "What about the other two?"

"The other two officers are named Sonika, the really tough gunman who guards the officer's quarters, and Kamui Gakupo who oversees the search towers…He seemed pretty standoffish when I read about him in the paper…"

Rin pushed the photos to the side and grabbed one of a lean man with a gold star pinned to his cap. "This is Kaito Shion. I think he may be a second in command to the person who runs the camp…Sort of like a Field Marshal."

Iroha clasped her hand over mouth and pointed to the last picture. There was a lengthy pause. "Then…Miku that must be him!" She cried from behind her palm.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Erm…I don't know who that one is…Who is he exactly?" She picked up the print between her fingers and held it up to the daylight that was streaming through one of the open windows like a golden waterfall.

The man in the photo looked to be barking out some kind of command and wore a sinister expression. His hirsute blonde bangs covered what appeared to be a black patch over his right eye, and a long thin scar had been engraved over the bridge of his nose. His cap was on crooked and he looked severely deprived of rest. Rin couldn't even understand how he was able to keep himself awake. It would take a lot of Weihenstephaner to keep someone going _that_ long…

Miku gritted her teeth. "It looks like we've finally found you buddy." She growled to the photograph even though it wasn't the real person.

Rin tugged on her sleeve. "Excuse me, but who is he?" she asked again.

Miku turned to the rest of the Second Race, ignoring her maid. "We've found our target girls! Pack for the next week and be sure to bring enough ammunition this time. I'm talking to you Iroha!"

Iroha's shoulders slumped in dishonor and she gave a shamefaced smile. "I'll be prepared this time…I promise." She mumbled.

Gumi stretched in overconfidence. "This will be as easy as marrying a rock!" she chuckled.

With that the three broke off and began to prepare for whatever mission lay before them, leaving Rin completely confused in their wake. She looked back down at the photograph. The mystery officer wasn't all that bad to look at and the fervor in his only good eye intrigued her, only making her want to know more and more about his origin. Rin sighed and folded the picture, stuffing it half heartedly into her pocket.

"H-Hey! I want to help too!" She chased after Iroha, who she had finally decided she had trusted the most. "I-Iroha can I help you with anything?"

Iroha glanced around. "Umm...Erm...Oh! Here you can hold Charlotte for me!" She gently handed the black cat to Rin and showed her how to support her body.

Rin grinned as she scratched the back of the feline's neck, causing her to purr. "Thank you Iroha...You seem really nice."

Iroha smiled back at her. "It's my plesure! She seems to really like you sweetie!"

Rin nodded and sighed. "Iroha?"

"Yes?"

"Who is that man in the picture?"

Iroha turned around. Her happy expression had faded and was replaced by a white and ghostly facade. "He is a horrid person driven by the sight of fresh, non-Aryan blood running through his fingers. He uses a sword to slay all in his path be they women, men, or even children..."

"R-Really? He sounds ruthless." Rin breathed, readusting Charlotte who was begining to fidget in her arms. "Will we see him?"

Iroha raised an eyebrow. "_We_? Honey you have to stay here. This camp is far too dangerous for someone as frail as you to invade. I like you as a person Rin, but you must understand something; Nobody is indestructable."

Iroha gave her a sad smile and went back about her work, leaving Rin and Charlotte alone once more. Rin pursed her lips in frustration. Miku had been her master and adopted mother for years! She couldn't let her walk to her death! She glanced over at the Luger beakoning to her on the table. It seemed she would have to defy the one she loved so dearly and take matters into her own hands.

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Hope you liked this chapter…I use a lot of German terminology… Weihenstephaner is a German alcohol brand in case you didn't know. Anyway hope you enjoyed ;3 Please review if you read! Thank you!

With love,  
~Lady-Salem


	3. The War is Here at Last

**Salem:** Thanks to all of you who seem willing to put up with my grammatical errors! I am from Japan, but choose to write in English, as I am going to school in America. Anyway, please review if you read and _**READ THE FOLLOWING BELOW FOR MORE EXPLANATION ON THE STORY!**_

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-**THE KARAKURI TRILOGY:** Karakuri Burst is actually a trilogy that was sold as an album. (If you want to see the whole story I'd look online or on YouTube but I don't think all three have English translations… but the story never officially ends. That's why I'm writing this Fanficiton!) The songs are as follows;

1) **Karakuri Burst (Puppet Burst) (****からくり卍ばーすと****) (There's an English sub version on YouTube):** The grand battle between Rin (of the Nazi Resistance) and Len (of the Nazi Regime). Rin sings of her thirst for Len's blood on her hands and how they are both just discarded puppets (Karakuri means puppet) that are meant to be thrown away, and asks Len to tell her why she is born. When he doesn't answer, she charges him with a gun and he begins to sing of his own thirst for death and destruction as well as the extermination of all things 'unpure.' There is a brief flashback of the two laughing together as children and Len being taken away by an unknown group of people in all black (The Nazi Regime) and Rin being held as a 'slave' by a blue haired woman who stole her from the orphanage (Miku and the German Nazi Resistance). The song ends when they, somewhat, begin to realize who each other are but we never know how the battle really ends. (That's where I want to interject my own Fanfiction!)

2) **Unmei Gokko (Make-Believe Fate) (****運命ごっこ****) (No English sub version on YouTube, just Japanese.):** Len sings of how he is searching for a certain someone, but is unsure of why or really who they are. He then goes on to sing of how he should not have let Rin go during the fight and how he is unsure about why he even did in the first place. He feels that he should find her again, and starts to remember bits and pieces of her in flashbacks as a young child before she goes completely insane. (Remember, in my fanfic, Rin never goes wholly insane). Len starts to look back on the battle and his own Nazi ideals from Karakuri Burst and wonders why Rin did not just decide to shoot him. Still, the two do not fully understand why they are important to each other.

3) **Oi kakekko wa yume no naka (Chasing in a Dream) (****追いかけっこは夢の中****) (No English sub on Youtube, just Japanese.):** The songs starts years before Rin and Len became adults. Two young children living in an orphanage (they're not related in the song), Rin and Len, are playing a game of hide and seek. But no matter how hard Rin tries to hide, Len always seems to find her. (Implying that he loves her enough and will find her even in their current situation). It is shown that Len gives Rin a yellow promise ring that she swore never to take off. As the song progresses, it is seen that Len is dreaming of the past and his dreams turn to nightmares when the two children clash. The song fades out and one of them pulls a trigger on a gun, but it is unknown who. Len wakes up and is back in reality with Rin standing in front of him with a gun pointing his way. He notices the yellow ring on her finger. However, she does not pull the trigger and hugs him. Len drops his katana and when Rin pulls away, she bids him goodnight and the song ends with a cliff hanger.

**IN THE SONGS:** Both Rin and Len are missing an eye. Rin's eye is red and Len's is blue, and it is believed that they both started out with one eye of each color. As they slowly moved over to each side, however, their eyes begin to show how they see the world. Len's is blue because he is cold and unfeeling, and Rin's is red because she is determined and sees nothing but bloodshed around her. (Rin hasn't lost her eye yet in my fanfic…"

-I hope you guys can find all of the songs. Sorry, I know that's **A LOT**. I bought them on ITunes, so I listen to them when I write to get inspiration. Hope you guys enjoy my fanfic!

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**Ch. 2: The War is here at Last**

Rin watched in awe as the whole of the Second Race filed out of the house and into the night. Iroha leaned over and handed Charlotte to the little housemaid before tapping her lightly on the nose.

Miku fastened a dark green bag, similar to Iroha's, around her shoulders before turning to the rest of the group. "Remember to stay close to the fences and avoid the search lights. Get as many people you as you can and then leave without looking back. If one of us is hit, you must retreat without hesitation." Gumi and Iroha nodded, and Miku continued sternly. "Iroha, I want you to be the main lookout. Alert Gumi and I if anything happens."

Iroha grinned and flew gracefully into a respectful bow. "Yes ma'am I shall!" She stated conceitedly and with satisfaction.

Miku rolled her eyes and jabbed a finger at Miku, straitening her glasses adroitly on the tip of her nose. "I want you to take out that tower guard, Gakupo. If he is down, then the whole camp should be unlit and we can slip around like the shadows from hell we've come to love. Got it?"

Gumi crossed her arms and gave a small dismissive nod. "Whatever you say, Boss." She mumbled apathetically.

Rin's hand shot up. "Miku, why can't I come with you?" She whined. "It's far too dangerous for you to go alone!"

Miku refused to make eye contact. "Rin, do you think it will be any better with you tagging along?" She bit callously. "You will weigh us down and get us killed!" Miku felt around in her pockets a moment then changed the subject. "Has anyone seen my Luger? I think I may have misplaced it."

Rin swallowed. The burdensome weight of the pistol's barrel dug into her hip from the pouch of her colorless, lace edged, cooking apron. She held Charlotte lower down in front of her, hoping that the cat's immeasurable girth would help to veil the bulge of the weapon protruding from her side. Her breath caught piercingly in her chest as she stared at her master who began to hunt about her feverously for a few long seconds, then sighed contentedly when Miku shrugged off the thought.

"I have my knife. That should be enough!" Miku laughed hungrily before running through the open door. "A sharpened blade always causes more agonizing pain!" She chanted and cackled, sprinting off towards the hellish woodland beyond their petite chalet.

Gumi pulled down the chestnut and orange-lensed steam punk goggles that had been tucked neatly in her bright green hair and secured them over her tired eyes before glancing at Rin and swiftly followed after her boss. Iroha gave Rin a genial pat on the head and kneeled down in front of her.

"I know that Miku can be a bit of a pain," she began slowly, "but she cares much about you. That is why she has asked you to stay here where you will be safe, little one."

Rin batted her hand away. "I am not a 'little one'! I am twenty years old and can fend for myself, Iroha! I want to come with you!"

Iroha frowned and shook her head, standing back up in dissatisfaction that the maid would not reason with her. "I cannot allow you to do that…We are walking to our death and you know that—"

"Then let me help!" Rin cried cutting her off.

Iroha narrowed her eyes dourly and spun around. "Be a good girl and stay here. We will be back by morning…If we last that long." She moved purposefully through the doorway and grabbed the discolored brass handle, looking over her shoulder at the blonde haired maiden for what she believed to be the final time. "Thank you for helping us identify the Nazis in the photographs. You have been a greater aid to the Second Race than you may think, Rin. Since I won't be returning, take good care of Charlotte for me."

Rin's hand shot out as Iroha slammed the door and traced after her colleagues. The furious housemaid stared in perplexity as her lean figure vanished almost instantly into the absence of light. Not even the glint of the short kitchen blade fastened to her side shown now. Rin let her shoulders sag as she retrieved a lit candle from the small table in the middle of the room. She trudged to the kitchen with Charlotte held tenderly in one arm, the flare spraying an eerie array of orange and gold over the bridge of her nose and up into her hair line. The black feline squirmed her way free from Rin's grasp and fell to the floor, landing softly on her twenty pink pads and running off in the opposite direction.

Rin placed the candle gingerly next to one of the washtubs in the kitchen before grabbing hold of a large metal bucket. She heaved it around in front of her, stopped a moment to catch her breath, and then began to pull various supplies from her apron pockets. A small military grade canteen that she had stolen from Miku grazed her fingertips and she clutched the top, tugging it free from the soft linen patchwork. She struggled a moment to unscrew the air-tight lid before dunking it into the freezing water of the bucket.

Rin watched the small air bubbles surface on the water as her canteen filled. Charlotte had returned and rubbed her silky flank affectionately against her new owner's thigh.

"Now that you're my new baby," Rin cooed, "I want you to be my partner in crime!"

Charlotte stared uncomprehendingly up at Rin's face and watched her remove her canteen from the water before stuffing it in her own army backpack.

Rin frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Stand up straight, soldier! We're on a mission!" She commanded.

Charlotte mewed gleefully and began to kneed, somewhat painfully, into Rin's foot who cried out a sharp retort.

Rin picked up the cat and held her eye to eye. The feline's thick legs dangled sweetly in the air as she stared back at her friend with her dark blue eyes, long white whiskers twitching gawkily.

"Save those claws for the battlefield, Private Charlotte!" Rin teased as she giggled.

The housemaid pulled the rest of her provisions from her apron before removing it and tossing it to the side in a heap; Bandages and light gauze, shells, a few sourdough biscuits, and Miku's tough holding Luger. Rin gazed down at the attractive, yet worn, grip of the pistol that had seen many a battle. Miku had etched her name into the metal with a philips head screwdriver in a sloppy German scratch.

"Charlotte, don't tell anyone this," she looked around her to be sure that no one could be listening, "but I'm going to go against Madam Miku!"

Just thinking of defying her master made Rin feel impure and disgusting. To go against her own word was to go against everything she was taught to stand for! Maybe this wasn't the correct path to go take?

Rin gritted her teeth and stood up. "No! I have to do this for Madam Miku!" She grabbed Charlotte by the scruff and stuffed her into her backpack so that the cat's fluffy head barely poked out. It took the black feline a moment to position herself and Rin could feel her wiggling about uncomfortably with an assortment of undomesticated thrashes and grunts. Finally, it seemed that she had found a comfortable setting and she lay utterly still as she purred out her content.

Rin tentatively pulled out her juvenile golden ponytail, causing her long blonde hair to fall in alluring bows of swirling yellows and fawns about her shoulders. It took her a moment, but she weaved her fingers in and out of her lustrous strands until they were situated into a sloppy bun, topped off with the white silk ribbon she refused to leave behind.

The house maid let out a self-doubting sigh and she felt her heart rate slowly escalate, pounding out a solid beat like a metal drum in her chest. She blew out the tiny flame from the candle and weaved her way through the dark to the doorway, her gun clutched unsteadily in one hand and her backpack pressing down heavily on her petite shoulders. Slowly she reached for the handle. The smooth metal shocked her fingertips causing her to draw back with a gasp. The moon shone brightly through the window washing out the room with its insipid backbiting mirth. A thick mist had flooded the countryside, spreading its icy fingers over the warm green land and driving the flowers back to the ground.

_T-Typical! _Rin thought, trying to muster up enough valor to venture out into the woods._ Y-You'll have to do more than that to scare me, Germany!_

**German Concentration Camp  
3:27 am**

Gumi placed a hand on Miku's shoulder as she peered unswervingly through the chain link fence before her. There was a lone search tower stationed in the middle of the polluted camp, surveying the many quarters of the incarcerated people below. There were no guards about, which was bizarre and slightly heartening all in one. Over all the camp was reasonably small…So why did Len choose to supervise this one out of the hundreds of others? He was a high class general with more than the required amount of skill needed to run one of the main sites, and yet he still chose to monitor a diminutive countryside camp?

"Hey Miku, where are all the blasted guards?" Gumi hissed in her boss's ear.

Miku was too engaged in her plot to answer. Her eyes were locked on the extensive lavender hair of Kamui Gakupo standing in the pinnacle of the observation tower with the blinding search light held fast in his hands. Miku rolled her hands slowly into fists around her long knife and narrowed her eyes at her enemy.

"He thinks we don't see him?" she muttered to herself. "Well that Nazi piece of garbage is in for a surprise! We can see you, Gakupo!" She cackled raucously.

Iroha's hand flew over her boss's mouth as she laughed acrimoniously through the night. She scanned her pastel face in discomfort and shot an anxious glance at Gumi. The cat burglar pursed her lips and gave her friend a minute nod.

"Erm…" Iroha rubbed the back of her head trying to find the precise words needed for the situation.

"Boss, don't get carried away with this alright?" Gumi decided to speak up. "Stick to the mission."

Miku pried Iroha's fingers from her mouth and coughed before shooting them both a seething ogle of displeasure.

"Don't you dare treat me like a child! I created everything that we stand for and you will show me more of your 'oh so powerful' high opinion!" She growled, mocking Gumi's arrogance. "Now get up! Iroha, get into position and prepare to back up Gumi at all costs."

Iroha nodded and pulled the kitchen knife from her side sheath. "G-good luck to you both." She whispered.

Iroha jumped up, scanned her surroundings, waited for Gakupo's search light to pass the group, and then shoved the blade between her teeth. She leaped onto the fence and heaved herself up, flipping her peach colored tresses out of her face. A couple of prisoners on the other side gasped when they saw her toss herself over the barbwire top of the fence and land stylishly on her red rain boots. They ran to her aid and begged for help, grabbing at her clothing and trying to rummage through her bag for food. Iroha gasped and forced the mass of three into the shadows as Gakupo flashed the colossal light in their direction. Miku and Gumi watched in horror as the guard squinted past the fiery vivacity of the authoritative light before shrugging and surveying other sections of the camp. Iroha sighed silently to herself and opened her bag. She pulled a loaf of fresh bread free and handed it over to the three famished men. After instructing the starving workers to stay in their spot amid the shadows of a sleeping quarter, the Second Race operative flew forward and dashed across the faction. She gave a hurried whistle and looked back at Gumi, who had already cleared the fence.

Gumi gave Iroha a hasty thumbs up and grinned when the French maid disappeared into the shadows once again. Gumi pulled her goggles from her face and tucked them up into her hair to improve her visibility. She swallowed and kept low to the ground as she ran, careful to avoid the blinding light above her as she moved. When she reached the tower she stopped to catch her breath.

"Aye, I must be out of shape…." She muttered to herself in a joking manner, trying to make light of her situation.

Still, the absence of guards made her spine prickle. There was something erroneous about the air but she couldn't put her finger on it. She looked back at Iroha, but something caught her eye. Her friend had vanished from her position! Gumi's eyes flew wide. She was on her own and going into this blind? She was no longer nonchalant and self-possessed, but on the threshold of falling to pieces where she stood. She stared at the ground where Iroha had just been and felt herself beginning to pant as a stomach-churning wave flooded over her. Miku whistled and waved at her from the fence.

"Gumi, keep going!" She mouthed reassuringly. "Don't worry about Iroha! I'm sure she's fine!"

Gumi took a deep breath and nodded to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed her breathing to stabilize as she felt herself beginning to calm. After all, she had been in far worse situations during her time as a thief and had brushed with death on several occasions. But Iroha could be dead, or even captured! Gumi grabbed onto a rung that would lead her to the top of the tower. She clenched her teeth as she climbed.

_Iroha is strong you dupe! _Gumi scolded herself. _Focus on the task at hand and find her later!_

When she reached the top of the tower, Gakupo stood like a ghost with his back to her, the colossal light creaking under its own weight as he turned it. Gumi held her breath and let her fingers trail the grip of her pistol. Unhurriedly, she wrapped her palm around it and drew it from her tight leather belt. She dared not take a step forward. The metal floor of the tower already creaked slightly under her weight and she was afraid that Gakupo may hear her if she moved any further.

Gumi held the pistol up in front of her face and aimed. "Hands up where I can see them." She ordered, regaining her buoyancy.

To Gumi's revelation, Gakupo didn't seem the least bit demoralized by her flaunt of hostility. He merely gave a delicate laugh and turned serenely to face her with one hand still on the giant lamp.

"I wondered when you would show your face around here again, Megpoid."

Gumi's heart sank at the sound of her real name. "W-Where did you hear that?" Her palms were growing sweaty and she struggled to keep hold of her pistol. "I asked you a question!" She yelled, taking a step forward.

Gakupo didn't seem intimidated. He leaned against the railing of the tower and scrutinized Gumi's face. "You never could hold your temper, Megpoid." He paused. "How is the little one?'

"What are you talking about?!" Gumi shrieked, grabbing the Nazi officer by the jacket and digging the barrel of her pistol into his temple. "Tell me or I'll blow you to hell!"

Gakupo sighed as his cap fell over the edge of the towering statue. "If you back up a few feet," he growled, "you may remember!"

Gumi wasn't sure why, but she felt she should conform to the Nazi's word. She gradually released her enemy's jacket and took a few unstable steps backwards. Without his cap, Gakupo's bangs hang chaotically in his eyes. He refused to stop toying with them and brushing him to the side like a child provoking, a vaguely chilling, reminiscence of someone Gumi had known before.

Gumi's jaw dropped and she lowered her handgun. "I know only one person who loves their hair that much…" She breathed in trepidation.

Gakupo smiled. "I knew you'd be coming Megpoid. I don't know how, but I knew. Heart to heart and mind to mind…"

"L-Let our spirits entwine?" Gumi spoke hurriedly to finish his sentence. "My…_promise!?_ Y-you…I remember you!" Gumi let her gun drop to the metal, creating quite a commotion. "Gackpoid, I thought you were _dead_!"

Gakupo gave an indiscernible shrug. "After we busted out, I had no place to go and was recruited by the Nazi Regime."

Gumi laughed out loud and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Never before had she been happier. "I've been looking for you! I thought that moron killed you! But wait," she drew back and narrowed her eyes at him, "you speak of a 'little one?' How do you know of Rin?"

Gakupo looked uneasily to the side. "You don't know then? She's—"

A thunderous shot from below caused the two to jump. Gumi flew to the railing and stared down. Her heart sank instantly when she realized who was below them. A gold haired, petite figure stared furiously up at her with a long barreled pistol aimed in Gakupo's direction.

"Rin?! Where did you come from?" Gumi screamed. "Don't shoot!"

Rin disregarded her and glared heatedly past her. "Get away from my friend you Nazi bastard!" She squeezed the trigger once more, hitting the tin directly to the left of Gakupo's shoulder. She lost her footing at the recoil of the blast and stumbled back into the dirt with a tiny yelp of shock.

Gumi felt tears well up in her eyes. She grabbed her friend by the shoulder and thrust him compellingly towards the ladder. When she was sure he was out of harm's way, she turned back to Rin.

"Rin stop! Gakupo isn't who we thought he was! He's on our side!" She cried following after him. "He had no choice but to come here and work!"

Rin bared her teeth and pushed herself up from the ground. "Friend my ass!" She ran forward and grabbed Gumi by the collar of her blouse and drug her down hard.

Gumi coughed and gagged on the ground as she tried to regain her senses. "Run, Gackpoid! I don't know what has gotten into Rin! She's not even supposed to be here!"

Gakupo shook his head and thrust his hands before him as Rin stalked closer. "No! The other officers heard Rin's shots! They'll find you!"

Gumi spat the dirt from her mouth. "Just go, Gackpoid…"

"No! I promised to take care of you!" Gakupo sighed. "I don't want to lose you again. You're my little sister…"

"Hey, you!" A voice yelled from behind her.

Gumi frowned and turned away from Gakupo and Rin. She squeezed her eyes shut before strenuously flipping herself over in the soil. A pair of Nazi officers stood behind her, one with cobalt blue hair and his cap worn at an awkward angle down over his eyes. The other was tall and extremely thin, as though he had not eaten well. His uniform was freshly pressed and crisp with the Swastika folded in a neat patch over his left upper arm. He looked neat and respectable, but something else set Gumi on the edge. A hint of black peeked through his golden bangs and she noticed that he was missing an eye.

"Stand up!" The man with blue hair barked inhumanly. "Hands where I can see them!"

Gumi's breathing had returned to its rapid panicky state as she slowly wobbled up from the ground.

"Y-You must be Kaito S-Shion." She whispered dreadfully.

Kaito gave a swift overconfident laugh and drew a thin katana from his black leather belt. He pointed it at the trembling Second Race operative and tapped the hilt warningly with a forefinger.

"Aren't you a smart one?" He chuckled ominously. "I'm sure you're wondering what happened to your Iroha?"  
Gumi gasped. "I-Iroha?! What have you done with her?"

Kaito shrugged. "We had Meiko…_talk_ to her. She told us everything you damned Second Race killer!"

Gumi's hand flew over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. She doubled over as her body became racked with sobs. "Y-you _killed _her? No! No, she can't be dead!" she bawled.

The blonde man snorted and crossed his arms. "She's not dead you idiot! At least not yet. We need you to tell us some things."

Gumi shook her head. "N-no! I-I won't say a word!" She raised her arm but dropped pathetically when she realized she had left her gun up in the search tower.

"You will come with us and remain silent unless spoken to by one of the Regime." Kaito instructed. "You will tell us everything you know about the Second Race and the whereabouts of each of its members, including its leader, Miku." He growled. "If you don't, we will shoot Nekomura Iroha in front of you. Do you understand our terms?"

Gumi hung limply where she stood. Her red rimmed eyes made her look gaunt and unwell as she began to trudge forward to where the two stood. She nodded pathetically and let the officers escort her off to the main building of the camp.

Behind her, Gakupo stood in awe of what had just happened. He turned to Rin and shook his head. "Please, you have to help my sister! She is all that I have!" He pointed to the blonde man. "If you kill him, the rest of us will have no leader! Please, you have to help Megpoid…"

Rin blinked and lowered her weapon. The sincerity in Gakupo's eyes was more than enough to convince her of the truth. He didn't want to be a Nazi. He was being forced into it and now they were going to murder his sister. No one deserved to endue such a fate...

Rin looked down and sighed reluctantly. Gumi was her freind, but aiding a Nazi? If it was the right thing to do, she must do it. "What can I do to help?"

Gakupo grinned. "Thank you! I will be forever in your debt!" He took her into the shadows of the towering search collumn and pointed at the blonde officer again. "He is our leader, Kagamine Len. You must take him out as quickly as you can. When he is gone, the rest of this camp should be easy to bring down."

Rin looked over her shoulder at the three heading off to the officer's building. She narrowed her eyes determinedly when she realized who Gakupo was motioning to.

"Len…The war against the Second Race has reached you at last."

* * *

So…really long chapter. I got on a roll and just kept typing, haha! Hey MizuneMinamiki, I listened to your advice! I hope I used the commas correctly. :3 And the other follower of this story…Not too sure who it is, but could you please review? I want everyone's advice if it's not too much trouble! Thank you and review if you read!

With love,  
~Lady-Salem


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